In a communications network, a fault in the network will probably impact the delivery of service to the customers. Therefore, it is typical for the service provider to use a fault reporting system to report the existence of faults in the network. To allow for the fact that several simultaneous faults may exist, it is normal to use a ranking system to prioritize the order in which faults should be resolved. There are several known fault ranking mechanisms which are based upon one or a combination of a ranking determined by equipment supplier and a ranking determined by the network operator. However, these ranking methods are essentially static and do not take into account the dynamics of the operating environment and changes to the network status.